All of the women, however, seem to agree that it is too early to say how these uprisings will affect women’s rights, or even how they will affect the region as a whole; as one of the contributors wrote: “only when women achieve their rights can we say that the ‘Arab Spring’ has commenced.” Women did, after all, play a major role in the protests, and so could continue to protest if they feel that their needs are not being met and they are being discriminated against or marginalized. As the International Women’s Day protests last year showed, however, those protests may fall on deaf—and hostile—ears. Still, the influence of grassroots activism will likely continue to empower people, and the excitement that surrounded the Arab Spring movements could also encourage women to continue the revolution.

I have attached a video below, an interview with Zainab Al-Suwaij of the American Islamic Congress and May Kosba of the National Conference on Citizenship, and I encourage you to watch it and consider what they have to say about the struggles Arab women continue to face. I also encourage you to read at least some of the Wilson Center report—you don’t need to look through the whole thing, but at least read some of the comments in the spirit of International Women’s Day! And then let me know what you think in the comments box. Is there one statement in particular that you feel really resonates?